An Overwhelming Battle

After leaving the relatively safe stretch of the shallow floors he had marked out, Greg set aside his banter with Nightmare.

The secrets he had just learned about the Goddess of Light, and his own goddess's terrible relationship with her, had certainly given him a headache.

But what mattered most now was dealing with the trouble ahead, then staying alive.

He silently moved to the front, gestured to Sylvia behind him to stay alert and follow, then took the lead in creeping toward the entrance to the middle floors.

Sylvia took a deep breath. Though nervousness still lingered in her pink eyes, determination outweighed it, and she followed closely on Greg's heels.

The passage gradually widened, and the terrain grew more complicated.

Even the glowing moss seemed dimmer. The air carried a smell unique to the depths of the Dungeon, a mixture of stale dust and a faint, bloody tang.

Greg could feel that he was approaching the abnormal area.

Sure enough, when they rounded a massive barrier of stalactite columns and saw the relatively open connecting area a short distance ahead, Sylvia gasped and instinctively grabbed Greg's sleeve.

"G-Greg! Are those... Goblins?! And... there are so many!"

Her voice was hushed, with an unmistakable tremor.

Ahead, roughly a dozen green-skinned Goblin warriors, short but muscular, wandered aimlessly or crouched on rocks near the entrance to the middle floors, carrying rusty swords, wooden clubs, or crude bows.

Their harsh chatter and the occasional clatter of weapons against stone sounded especially grating in the silent cavern.

These Monsters, which should have been active on the middle floors or even deeper, now occupied the chokepoint between the shallow and middle floors like sentries.

"It's all right. The two of us can handle this much."

Sensing Sylvia's nervousness, Greg stopped and turned his head, speaking quietly in as steady a voice as he could manage:

"There are a few more than I expected, but they're still manageable. Besides, they look scattered, without any tight formation. They shouldn't be too hard to deal with."

He paused, his gaze passing over Sylvia's pale face:

"Once the fighting starts, try to stay somewhere safe behind me. Prioritize enhancement and protection spells on me. If you get the chance, use your light magic to disrupt or purify the shamans' spells. Understood?"

Sylvia nodded firmly. Her fingers were still a little cold, but Greg's steady tone and clear instructions gave her someone to rely on.

"I-I understand, Senior Greg!"

"Good."

Greg said no more. He flexed his wrists and fixed his gaze on the two nearest Goblin warriors, who seemed unaware of their presence.

"I'll start with those two. Sylvia, give me a buff."

"Yes!"

Sylvia immediately raised her wand, closed her eyes, and murmured a swift, devout prayer.

A soft, pure white light shone at the tip of her wand, rapidly gathered, then became a warm stream of light that settled gently over Greg.

[Light of Jotunheim · Strength Enhancement]!

[Light of Alfheim · Agility Boost]!

With the two buffs upon him, Greg immediately felt a gentle yet solid strength well up within him. His limbs seemed lighter and more powerful.

This was why Greg wanted to fully clear the first floor before the final events of chapter one began.

Light-based support magic had direct, beneficial effects. Without Sylvia's assistance, he would undoubtedly have struggled far more.

"Here I go!"

With a low shout, Greg abandoned concealment and pushed off, shooting out from behind the stone column like an arrow loosed from a bow, straight at the two Goblin warriors before they could sound the alarm!

At the same time, he swiftly focused his thoughts and channeled his mana.

Level 1 · Dark Bracer!

Bracers as black as ink, with ominous dark mist flowing over their surfaces, instantly covered both his arms.

Against the faint white glow of the light-based buffs, the heavy, armor-like black bracers looked especially eerie and powerful.

"Gah?!"

The two Goblin warriors clearly hadn't expected a human to launch an attack from such close range, and hurriedly raised their weapons.

One swung a rusty cleaver at Greg's neck, while the other drew its crude wooden bow.

Greg neither ducked nor dodged. He raised his left arm, bringing the black bracer precisely into the cleaver's path.

There was no loud clash of metal.

The instant the cleaver touched the dark mist, it seemed to be swallowed by an invisible, enormous mouth. The front of the blade, along with the meager force behind it, vanished without a sound, leaving only half a broken blade to fall to the ground with a clatter.

The Goblin warrior froze, clutching its bare hilt.

Almost simultaneously, Greg drove his right fist, wrapped in dark mist, hard into the face of the other Goblin, which had just drawn its bowstring.

A muffled thump sounded-not the cracking of a skull, but the dark mist spreading like a living creature on contact, instantly enveloping the Goblin's entire head.

The next moment, the mist withdrew, and the Goblin toppled backward, stiff. There were no wounds on its face, but its eyes had gone lifeless, as though something vital had been drained away.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

Only then did the other nearby Goblins notice. They let out piercing shrieks and closed in, brandishing their weapons.

"Senior Greg, watch your left!"

Sylvia's voice came from behind him, anxious, but she hadn't forgotten her duties. Another [Barrier of Light] appeared beside Greg, just in time to block an arrow fired from a treacherous angle.

The arrow struck the milky-white curtain of light and bounced away.

"Thanks!"

Greg called out without slowing, charging straight into the ring of Goblins.

With Sylvia's buffs and timely support, he felt much less pressure.

These Goblin warriors were around LV15-LV18. He hadn't feared facing them one-on-one in the first place, and now he was even more formidable.

Dark Bracer became his most effective weapon and shield.

Whether the Goblins slashed, thrust, or threw stones, the moment their attacks touched the churning dark mist, they were either partially devoured and greatly weakened or neutralized completely.

And with every counterattack Greg delivered, Dark Bracer brought not only physical impact but also a trace of corrosive shadow power, killing the Goblin he struck on the spot.

The battle quickly became one-sided.

Greg swept through the Goblins like a black whirlwind, leaving them falling in his wake.

Sylvia followed nervously a short distance away, continually renewing his buffs or using [Holy Light Bullet] to disrupt and drive back enemies attempting to ambush him from the sides.

Watching Greg effortlessly neutralize attack after attack with that ominous black power she had never seen before, she felt not only surprise but also a surge of deep admiration.

Senior Greg... really was amazing!

Was this the legendary Dark Attribute Magic? It felt a little eerie... but it really was powerful!

Yet the clamor of battle and Greg's efficient slaughter finally drew the attention of a more troublesome foe.

"#￥%...&!!"

A shrill, awkward-sounding chant rose from behind a taller rock off to one side.

Alarm bells rang in Greg's mind. He whipped his head around and saw a Goblin shaman in a ragged feather cloak, its face smeared with paint. At some point, it had circled around behind their flank, and its bone staff was aimed straight at-Sylvia!